Cicada has a very bad day, Iris and Nora begin to reconnect and Caitlin gets a reunion she wasn’t bargaining for.

It’s basically impossible to not use running metaphors when talking about this show and so we’re just going to lean into it. This isn’t a missed step by any means but it’s a change in pace which is so jarring the show feels a little thrown off rhythm. Although, as we’ll see, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

So, first off we have Cecile and Ralph cracking the case. No, seriously, they do. Thanks to a combination of Cecile’s DA mojo and Ralph’s charming malleable relationship with legality by the end of the episode they’ve got a pretty rock solid idea who Cicada could be. This is the sort of thing The Flash has always done well: throwing curveballs when you least expect it to. Connecting Cecile learning how to use her powers in connection with her skills to the case is honestly kind of inspired. Putting Cecile and Ralph together? Doubly so. Hartley Sawyer and Danielle Nicolet are one of those double acts who are instinctively funny the moment you see them on screen and I’d love to see them get more to do.

Elsewhere the episode serves up some surprises too. First off, Kyle Secor, ladies and gentlemen! The veteran character actor (and a man who will forever be Detective Tim Baylis from Homicide: Life on the Street for me) does excellent work here as… well… someone who looks a lot like Caitlin’s dad. The reveal on where he is and why is something of a sprint, and Secor and Panabaker as Caitlin aren’t especially well served by it. It feels, in the moment, rushed and given the fact this plot has been a solid B or C element of every episode so far that seems disappointing.

But then you think about it and you realise two things. The first is the fascinating implication that Killer Frost is an entirely separate entity hosted inside Caitlin. The second is that those entities have a culture all their own. There are masses of unanswered questions here and while the plot itself may be a little rushed, the consequences are fascinating. Plus it gives Cisco an excuse to a) be amazing and b) vent some frustration. Everyone’s favourite Ramone has not had a good year so far and this week his worth is more apparent to everyone than ever.

Elsewhere we get a lot of small but interesting pieces. The origin of Cicada’s powers, the confirmation he’s been hurt and that he views all metas as evil are all interesting puzzle pieces. It’s nice to see Nora and Iris on the same page too and the closing fight is a nice return to the Mass Team Science Improv problem solving of earlier seasons.

Verdict: All in all, there’s a lot to enjoy here it’s just presented in a different way. Less a single episode and more a progression of multiple threads, it’s not The Flash breaking stride but it’s also not The Flash at top speed quite yet. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart